A Promise Kept
by andysoneandonlyangel
Summary: Daine and Numair finally act on their once hidden feelings for each other after Daine's spidren attack in Realm of the Gods...a retelling from both Daine's and Numair's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the one and only Tamora Pierce.

Numair and Daine picked their way through a treacherous path, made no easier by the darkness that encroached upon them from on all sides. The moon and stars provided light, but the pale glow was feeble and weak. As they hiked through the darkness, Daine let her mind wander as she was ought to do after a long and tiring day. She sensed the big mage behind her, treading as softly as his tall frame would let him. Daine allowed herself a half-smile, and in her distraction, almost walked into a large boulder that had been concealed by the shadows. She scowled but soon felt the corners of her mouth turn up when large hands held her safely and steadily and tightly from behind.

Numair caught and steadied her. "Careful magelet. I don't want to lose you."

Looking up at her teacher's face, Daine felt a flash of heat rush through her body. His eyes, illuminated by the magical staff her father had given him, betrayed something that Daine could not begin to comprehend. When she tried to look deeper, Numair had once more eased his facial features into one of calmness.

"Gods, Numair. It's not like I'm gonna walk over a cliff or anything," she snapped at him to cover up her confusion. She shrugged off his hold and stumbled away from him, tripping slightly on the pebbles that littered the path.

The fact alone that he was hiding something from her of all people irritated Daine. They had been traveling alone with each other for so long, keeping each other company, fighting against the immortals together, not to mention, and daily risking their lives that Daine didn't think they would have any secrets from each other. And yet— there _was_ something different.

Daine had long sensed a change in their relationship, but she never voiced her opinion on it to Numair for fear that he would laugh at her, or do something that either she or he may come to regret. Daine yelled at herself internally: _Isn't it enough that we're friends? Am I wrong for suddenly wanting something more? _

She thought about how these changes have come to affect her in ways that were strange and unknown to her. Like right then, when he had caught her, Daine felt her heartbeat accelerate, taking off like a hawk lost in the hunt. Her consequent lack of breath caused a sort of lightheadedness in Daine that she had never experienced before. Of late, whenever she had managed to look into Numair's eyes, she had seen something there that scared her and yet excited her at the same time. It was a very disconcerting feeling. She was reminded of the time when she had first met him in his hawk form. By gazing into his bird eyes, she had felt dizzy and faint. She wanted to know what it was about him this time that put her under his spell.

_However_, Daine thought with an uncharacteristic spurt of savage vindictiveness, _I'm not the only one feeling this way. _Come to think of it, Numair _had_ been acting very strangely. Numair's actions, as fleeting as they were, still betrayed him. When they hugged, as they did quite often nowadays, his dark eyes would begin to smolder. When he thought her attention was otherwise diverted, Numair would gaze at her; and when caught, his face turned a ruddy hue underneath his tan. And, he had started to annoy Daine with his overprotectiveness, especially in his comments that she stay with her parents instead of returning with him to help their friends and to save their home from complete destruction.

Then, a cry shook Daine back to reality. She looked up and saw Numair being carried off by what looked like an arm comprised of rocks.

"Numair!" Daine screamed at him, simultaneously stringing her crossbow with ease.

As she took a step back, the ground beneath her gave way and Daine plummeted down the cliff towards the unknown.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the one and only Tamora Pierce.

Numair's saw nothing but darkness. The arm that held him squeezed tightly as if trying to squeeze the very life out of him. Knowing that panic would do no good to him, Numair calmly called his Gift out, sending black flames rippling throughout his body. After a few moments, the arm realized that Numair was hurting _them_, no longer the other way around. The rocks moaned and shrieked, but finally threw its prize away.

Exhausted from his battle with the rocks, Numair stumbled through the darkness, back towards the Chaos vent from whence he came. The Chaos vent was pulling him towards it. Flashes of brilliant colours leapt out at Numair, sending multi-coloured sparks to light upon his skin.

Praying to the gods that the vent would send him back to Daine, Numair let himself be pulled through. The sensation was overwhelming. It was like someone or rather something, was trying to turn Numair's body inside out. The rocky arm was almost pleasant compared to this sensation. The colours became even more brilliant and overpowering to the point where Numair's eyes began to water intensely. He forced his eyes shut, placing his hands over them for extra measure. In the distance, he heard someone shouting— then he realized it was him. The Chaos vent was wrecking havoc on Numair's mind and body to the point of excruciating pain. Then, right when he thought he could bear the agony no longer, Numair found himself tossed out of the vent. He landed in a heap next to the cliff he had so abruptly left not several minutes ago.

Numair stood up slowly, allowing the creaks to be worked out of his body.

"Daine?" he called warily, looking around. Numair craned his neck and squinted his eyes, trying to find his student and friend.

There was no answer. The silence of the cliff was almost deafening. He frowned. The cliff seemed smaller than the way he had left it.

"Oh Goddess," he moaned, as he saw the broken face. He stepped carefully to the edge, expecting to see nothing, and yet hoping to see something that would give him the hope that Daine was still alive. He gripped his staff with more power than necessary. He only allowed his fear to show in that almost imperceptible way.

Numair looked inside himself and saw that his Gift was almost gone. No matter. He would do whatever it takes in order to get Daine back safely in his arms, and Goddess help anyone or anything that was foolish enough to stand in his way. For a moment, panic broke through his quiet and calm barrier. How in the name of Mithros was he going to find her? A little voice yelled at him from the deepest recess of his mind: _Are you a mage or not?! What did you make six months ago? _Numair rewinded his thoughts: six months ago, Daine battled a deadly bout of unicorn fever and when she recovered, he had made a focus!

Numair gazed intently at his wrist and smiled grimly when a golden locket appeared. He had always known he would need to use this one day, but he had hoped that he wouldn't ever need to call upon this. He gripped the locket tight in his palm and pictured Daine's face smiling back at him. He threw his reserve Gift into overdrive and felt beads of sweat form on his brow. _I don't care what this is going to cost me_, he thought. _Just let me get to her in time. Oh gods, please, let her be alive!_

When Numair opened his eyes, he knew he was in a forgotten and sinister place. Tiny bones crunched underneath his feet. The smell was almost unbearable in its sharp mustiness. But this was no ordinary smell, and this was no ordinary place. The hairs on the back of Numair's neck rose in a growing awareness of where he was. Strands of webs glowed faintly in the dark.

Voices shouted at each other in the distance. They were so faint that they were almost indiscernible. He crept closer to the opening and saw a sight that made his blood run cold. Three large spidrens were gathered around a body that was enshrouded in glowing webs. Numair saw Daine's crossbow lying beside a large female spidren. He couldn't believe Daine had been bested by these monsters! Was Daine truly dead? Rage rolled off his body in waves.

Numair stepped out from behind the large boulder that had concealed him. He slammed his staff onto the ground and uttered a word that sent the nearest spidren to him into several directions. Numair hardly winced when the spidren's blood splattered onto him, searing him like acid. Then, he turned to the next spidren, who threw himself at Numair recklessly. Numair was too nimble, and pounced right back. He was drained of his Gift, but he was _not _drained of his strength yet. Numair brought down his staff with ferocious energy onto the body of the spidren. Even when he knew the spidren was dead, he did not stop. He just couldn't find the will in him to stop beating the monster who had taken his Daine away from him.

Numair didn't even realize that the darkings had successfully killed the female spidren. He kept his back turned on Daine's body, not trusting his emotions, realizing that he had lost his chance to tell her what she really meant to him. And now, he would never be able to see her, talk to her or touch her ever again.

Then, a faint rustling reached his ears. Numair kept staring at the spidren's mangled body.

"Numair?"

He stiffened, and stood up straighter, believing himself to be hallucinating.

"Please…are you all right?"

No, this was no mere hallucination. Daine was truly alive! _Careful, Numair—_he commanded himself—_ lest your eyes betray your secret_. Numair turned around slowly, keeping his emotions in check, but nonetheless feeling his heart accelerate towards the stars.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the one and only Tamora Pierce.

Daine stumbled over to where the large mage stood with his back hunched in exhaustion. She saw that he shook, that each breath he took was a labour in itself. Although her own body screamed with pain with every little movement, seeing Numair look so defeated was worse than any physical agony. Daine stretched a trembling hand towards him, then pulled back in hesitation.

"Numair?"

She saw him stand up a bit straighter, with more attention. Slowly, too slowly, he turned to face her. His face was pale underneath his tan. As Daine gazed at him, his face became flushed and then slowly returned to its normal dark hue.

"You—you're alive. I thought…" he trailed off, his thought too unbearable for him to think of. He still gazed at Daine with wide, disbelieving eyes as if he expected her to vanish.

She rushed to reassure him. "I hurt too much to be dead."

That much was true. Her body felt as if she was coming apart into pieces. It took all of her will to not crumple into a little miserable heap on the ground, but Daine was a fighter… she would not let this pain master her, or make her forget who she was.

Daine didn't know that a sort of pleading look crept into her eyes as Numair stared right back at her. Then in a swift movement, too swift to even comprehend, Daine was in Numair's arms, crushed against his body. With his vise-like grip around her, she knew that she was in no danger of losing herself. Numair was all she needed to be anchored to reality.

Daine tilted her head back to get a closer look at her teacher's face. What she felt when she looked at him scared her, but it also enticed her. A tidal wave of emotions and unanswered questions flooded Daine's mind. How badly did she want to lose herself in the dark brown pools of his eyes? How badly did she want to take her fingers and trace the outline of his lips, and kiss its corners that were so often slightly curled in gentle loving mockery of her? All the uncertainty that she had felt about Numair melted away when he fixed his smoldering brown eyes upon her blue-grey ones.

An intense fire and longing rushed through Daine, surprising her, but shedding light on those questions she had pondered not long ago. This was why their relationship had changed. She cared for him, certainly, but not merely as a friend. She cared for him in a way that she had never cared for anyone before.

Before she could ponder it anymore, Numair's lips were on hers, caressing hers with an ever-growing need. His lips were soft as they shaped themselves around hers. Daine returned the kiss with fervor. Her hands lost themselves in his hair as she pulled his head closer to hers. All her senses were heightened: her nose filled with his unique scent and soon the acrid smell of the spidrens was all but diminished; her body, so numb with pain before was so sensitive now. She could feel Numair's large hands stroking her back, holding her close; she felt sweet pressure from his fingers drawing her closer as if to meld their bodies together—as if he would never let go. She felt his heart thumping abnormally fast. Her breath became ragged and all too soon, Numair pulled away.

But Daine did not have enough. All it took was a whispered protestation and Numair's lips were enthusiastically on hers once more, albeit for a brief moment.

Numair shifted his hold on Daine and she was cradled in his arms as if she was a babe. His legs threatened to give way…but in a good way: that kiss was more passionate than he meant it to be. He made his way over to a large rock that would comfortably serve as a chair for the time being.

"Goddess bless. Magelet, I thought I'd lost you," he muttered as he brushed her sweat-slicked curls away from her face.

Daine's eyes began to sting, warning her of the onslaught of tears that were coming. Before her tears could render her speechless, Daine murmured, "I told you before Numair…it's gonna take much, much more than whatever the gods or the immortals or anyone else throws at me to keep me from you. I thought you knew that."

Daine's voice shook at the end; she was almost near her breaking point. The sweetness of the past few minutes had made her forget her ordeal, but the memories came crashing back with a vengeance. Tears flooded her eyes and she turned her face down from Numair's probing, but gentle eyes and stifled her sobs against his shirt.

Numair comforted her as best as he could— by not saying anything. Instead, he contented himself by rocking her in his arms, by resting his cheek on top of her head. Soon, Daine was silent, sobs no longer racking her body. Numair craned his neck to look down at his sleeping love. Tear tracks were still visible on her face. Numair gently wiped her tears dry with his thumb.

He let a smile play around his lips and he leaned his forehead against hers. He whispered back, "I do know that. And you did tell me before, but like I fool, I forgot. Don't worry magelet. It's a promise kept."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the one and only Tamora Pierce.

A/N: I meant to end this in three chapters, but I decided to add just one more! So basically, this is my chapter 3, but in Numair's point of view…hope you enjoy! And thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who reviewed the story! It truly means a lot to me! Onward with the story!

At the sound of Daine's soft voice, Numair felt his heart beat with renewed vigor. The grief that he had once felt when he thought Daine was dead was growing duller and duller by the second. The blackness of despair gave way to light— he no longer faced the dismal abyss that would have been his life if Daine had truly been killed. Now, it was actual pain that almost brought Numair to his knees— a pain that had been second to the thought of losing Daine. His knees buckled to support his large frame; his lips parted in a slight silent moan as he twisted his hands around his staff for better support. Numair turned towards her, feeling his blood rush to his face. He fought a losing battle against a voice in his head that told him to finally reveal to Daine what he had been suffering through these past few months.

Her face called out to Numair like a beacon in the darkness. Her eyes...those blue-grey eyes that he had come to cherish were vivid against her pale face. Her brown curls, usually neatly tied back, were tumbled haphazardly around her head. And yet, in all her fear, she had never looked so beautiful to him.

He opened his mouth to reveal his fateful words. No sound came out. In his mind he repeated just one phrase over and over again, growing louder each time: _I love you. I love you. I love you! _

"You—you're alive. I thought…" he finally managed to choke out. Inwardly he yelled at himself. _Fool! Idiot! Is that all you can say?_

Daine inched closer. The distance between them was neigh unbearable. Numair took a step towards her as he heard her mutter a soft reply back. As she spoke, Numair kept a close eye on his student's face. A look that he had never seen before crept into her eyes. It was a pleading look that quickly changed to one of hardened determination. That pleading look snapped something inside of Numair; it was so innocent, so naïve. Once more, he felt the need to comfort her, to protect her, to be everything and anything she needed him to be. He strode towards her, moving quicker than he had ever moved; his long legs covering the distance in just two great steps.

Numair swept Daine up into his arms, holding her tight against his body. He stroked her curls with a trembling hand. His skin broke out into goosebumps where Daine breathed upon him. All too soon, Daine lifted her head from his chest. She looked up at Numair with those wide blue-grey eyes of hers as if she was searching for an answer to a question. Even though Numair kept his face in a stoic and calm mask, his eyes betrayed him. His eyes burned with the unspoken affection and devotion he had for her. His dark brown eyes smoldered with the intensity of it all. As the seconds ticked by, the yearning in Numair's body grew deeper…the yearning to feel her lips against his, the yearning for Daine to finally understand what she meant to him.

Without thinking, without weighing the consequences, Numair did the unthinkable. For once in his life, he acted with passion, throwing his logical self to the wind. He embraced his emotions with reckless abandonment.

Numair caught Daine's lips in an ardent embrace. He felt her respond with fervor and Numair's heart threatened to burst with happiness, joy, and dare he think it…love. Yes, it was love that had plagued Numair these past months. He knew it before but he tried to ignore it, obviously failing in his attempt to do so. He had always thought himself in love with her, but it was at this precise moment, with her lips attached to his, that he had his epiphany. A whirlwind of emotions raced through his amazingly empty mind. Numair was devoid of all other thoughts and he devoted himself entirely to the wonderful prospect of kissing Daine and basking in the realization that he truly loved her.

He teased her lips open and felt her further surrender in his arms. His breath became her breath, his heartbeat became her heartbeat. It felt so right to be one, entwined together like this. Numair's body no longer ached with fatigue, but with the sweetness of it all.

Numair and Daine kissed but once more after their first embrace. He could hardly speak afterwards. His heart belted out a jagged tune so loudly and so forcefully that he expected Daine to feel it too, with her being cradled in his arms. His traitor of a heart thumped even louder as he heard Daine's whispered semi-declaration of her feelings for him.

Suddenly, Daine raised her voice and spoke to him accusingly, "Why didn't you tell me how you felt earlier?" She unleashed the full power of her eyes on him.

"I tried to forget it. But there you were, traveling alongside me for countless days on end. No matter what I did or what I thought of, I just couldn't forget. The pain I went through magelet, was…and I assure you… acute."

Daine gave way then to tears when the day's events caught up with her. He rocked her gently to sleep, and soon, Daine was asleep. Despite the tear tracks left on her cheeks, she was at peace for she slept with a smile playing upon her lips. Numair gazed upon her face, so much more peaceful and childlike when she was sleeping and made a silent vow to her.

_Daine_, he began, his words resounding loudly in his mind, _now you will never have a doubt that I will always be there for you. I never knew what love truly was before I met you. Now I know what it means and what it feels like to let someone into my heart. I was a fool to fight this. But you found a way in, and I'm glad. Even if you don't feel the same way about me, I'll love you forever. But I'm hoping against hope that you do love me, even if that's not the wisest decision you'll ever make. This I promise you too: if you ever get in trouble, and knowing you, you probably will, I will be there to work out the kinks. If you ever get lost, I'll search high and low to bring you safely home. I don't care if I have to go against Stormwings or spidrens or hurroks alone…I will allow nothing to get in my way. As long as my heart is still beating and as long as I still have breath in my body, I'll come for you, no matter where you are. I'll bring you home. I'll bring you home to me, if you'll allow me to. For now and evermore, my heart belongs to you. _

The solemnity of the moment was broken when Daine let out a soft snore. But Numair smiled. A great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He would stay with Daine until she ordered him away or otherwise. However, Numair hoped with all his heart that Daine would take him and keep him.


End file.
